Monday, December 19, 2011

"Sugar, Sugar" Book Review and Giveaway (CLOSED)

I was contacted a couple months ago and asked if I'd like to receive a complimentary copy of a new dessert cookbook called Sugar, Sugar: Every Recipe Has A Story by Kimberly Reiner and Jenna Sanz-Agero. Well I love sugar so I said yes!

I was excited to get my hands on this book because it reminded me of a modern version of my favorite community cookbook. The book is broken up into 7 chapters- the first telling you about the book and the "sugar momma" authors and how the book came about, and then came the recipes categorized by type of dessert- Cakes, Tarts and Pies, Cookies, Bars, Confections and Recipe Legacies. You see, each recipe is contributed by someone else, much like a community cookbook. Because the recipes are submitted by other people, they are not all from scratch, some of them contain shortcut ingredients, such as boxed cake mix and canned pie filling. But this book is more than just a collection of recipes because each entry also has a short story accompanying it. The stories were funny, sweet and sentimental. Some were about the celebrations in which they were served, some were about the people and hands that made them. The one constant is that this books bring life to the recipes.

Another thing I liked about this book was that the authors leave you "Sugar Momma Tips" about the recipes, like how to turn these bars back into a pie, or how to how to make the recipe your own by swapping out ingredients. They also give you tips on how to speed up the recipe if you're pressed for time. On top of all that, there is a section for note taking, so you can jot down comments or changes you made to the recipe, much like grandma would have done in her own handwriting on a recipe card.

When it came down to deciding what to make for this review, I decided on a caramel cake. As you can see, that is not what I have here. I found the cake to be cloyingly sweet and just couldn't eat it. I tried to pass it off onto others and they all said the same thing. It had great buttery caramel flavor, just way too much sugar. But then again, it comes from a book where the word "sugar" appears twice in the title. I turned to these Kentucky Pie Bars, because we love Derby Pie and I liked that these could be made in bar form with a graham cracker crust. These were just like the pie I make and not too sweet. They were like a cross between a magic cookie bar and Derby Pie. I would definitely make these bars again, but I would add more Bourbon to the filling (I added the lesser amount) and add a bit more butter to the crust to help bind it together since I found them to be a little crumbly. I also have my mind set on making the cover recipe as well as a pie and another bar cookie recipe, so stay tuned.

To make the crust: Place the graham crackers and the melted butter in a medium bowl and mix together until the crumbs are thoroughly moistened. Press mixture firmly and evenly on the bottom of the baking dish and set aside.

To make the filling: Place the sugar and butter in a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat mixture on medium speed until well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and the eggs ones at a time, add the vanilla and Bourbon, if using. Gradually add the flour until just combined. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold in the pecans and chocolate chips. Pour the filling on top of the crust and spread it evenly.

Bake for 33-38 minutes, until the bars begin to turn a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool before cutting. Or eat them while still warm and gooey.

Now for the giveaway. The publishers and I want you to have your very own copy of Sugar, Sugar: Every Recipe Has A Story. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. For a second entry and in the spirit of this book, leave a seperate comment telling me a brief story about one of your favorite recipes. That's it!

I'll pick a winner in a couple days and the folks at Andrews McNeel Publishing will send a book straight out to that individual. Good luck and happy story telling!

The best recipe ever is my Grandma's noodle recipe. It's simple but turns out great every time. The story - she has taught 3 children (1 boy), 6 granddaughters, and 1 great granddaughter how to make those noodles that are a part of our holiday celebrations.

hmm. a story about a recipe? i've named my sangria recipe after a friend who has spent a TON of time in spain, and still thinks that my sangria is one of the best she's ever tasted. that compliment definitely won her a recipe-naming-favor!

One of my favorite recipes at Christmas is Russian Tea Cakes -- sometimes called Mexican Wedding Cakes or Snowballs. When my oldest daughter was 3 or 4, she was *helping* my Mom make these yummy treats and by the end of the task, she was covered, head to toe in powdered sugar -- I can still see those little blue eyes shining out of all that sugar, lol. She is 26 now and expecting my frist grand -- Russian Tea Cakes are still her favorite Christmas treat and she has taken over the making of them. Lovely memories for all three generations involved in that day :)

I have so many stories about so many foods. I think one of my favorite ones is the night that my BFF and I got tipsy on a combination of champagne, peach schnapps, and orage sherbet all blended together. We called our concoction the "peach sunrise surprise," and we drink them now nearly every time we get together for a girl's night.

One of my favorite sweet treats is a simple sugar cookie made from a Betty Crocker recipe from the 50s. I have my brother's & sister's copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys & Girls that dates back to the 50s. There is a wide age gap between my siblings and myself so I am really the second generation of my family to use this recipe. Add in my kids (the oldest being almost 22), 3 generations have used this recipe every holiday for over 40 years. A very simple, no frills cookie that brings back so many memories for many of us

It's so hard to pick one favorite recipe...so I'll pick one that I make this time of year and that would be my mom's salami recipe that we make and give away with cheese, crackers, and a cheeseball that is to die for! :)

My favorite recipe is one that I love because it is so simple and very quick to make. Hot Milk Sponge Cake with a citrus syrup. This cake takes minutes to prep and is very light, airy, and delicious. I found it in a great cookbook "Desserts That Have Killed Better Men than Me"

I have 4 favorite secret recipes. One is my roll recipe, my whole wheat pizza, my hummus and my salsa. If I told you what the ingredients are, I'd have to kill ya!Sorry.... But I do love to try out new recipes > especially if they have sugar in them. So, pick me, pick me! for the give-a-way. I live in rural Alaska and we power with solar and wind on our homestead. I have a wood burning stove that I love to cook on. We fill our freezer with meat that we hunt right here on the property, fill the root cellar with vegs. from the garden, gather fresh eggs from the chickens and milk from our goats. I'm a grandma and we have 2 or our 3 grown children and their families living on place.

One of my favorite recipes is this maple oatmeal muffin that've I've made for Christmas the past twoish(?) years. They always disapear within minutes. And it's one of the very very few things my sister will actually eat more than one of.

A friend gave me a recipe for Tater Delights that make delicious cookies. The recipe calls for sweet potatoes, raisins and pecans. I was running out of time to make these so instead of cooking the sweet potatoes and then mashing them smooth I bought baby jars of sweet potatoes. When my friend tried one of my tater delights she wanted to know how did I get them to taste better! The baby food sweet potato makes the cookies very smooth and really good. I have made them this way for over 10 years.

I can't possibly narrow down to one favorite recipe, so I appreciate the freedom on "one OF your favorite recipes.." so here goes. The day I discovered lemon curd was a day that changed my life. Lemon Curd sounds disgusting. I know you know it's good because I stalk your blog, but for most people I make cakes for, I actually have to convince them of the amazingness of lemon curd. For the same reason (that it sounds gross), it was something I never wanted to try. I only tried it one day because a very good friend requested it for her wedding shower cake. I used this recipe: http://www.joyofbaking.com/LemonCurd.html and I fell in love. I'm not a pudding fan, and also for that reason I wanted to avoid the texture, but when I tasted the tangy amazingness for the first time, I completely changed my tune. There are now very few cakes I don't try to incorporate lemon curd into if I can. :)

THe story that I have about recipes is that I normally bake treats and give them away so I don't eat it all. Some of the custodians at work, now request baking when we go to thank them for their hard work. Now that's a compliment.

i don't have too many stories to tell about food as i am the first in my family to really enjoy cooking and baking (not only out of necessity) but i do have one funny one: i started cooking dinners by myself by the time i was 10. i watched my mother make her famous meatloaf and german meatballs and though for SURE i had both of the recipes down (she didn't measure, just toss until it "looks right"). so one night i decided i would surprise my mom with dinner already ready after she came home from work and i decided on the meatballs. i diligently worked the egg and tomato sauce and spices into the ground meat and formed perfect balls and set them in bubbling water to cook. i prepped the potatoes and peas and checked on the meatballs about 20 minutes later only to find that they had not held their shape and instead broke into a bunch of tiny horribly curdled looking pieces. i didn't know what to do so i just turned the pot off and left it. when my mom came home i had her survey the mess and told her step by step what i had done and it turns out that the tomato sauce goes in the MEATLOAF not the meatballs. but she was a good sport, gave me a hug for effort and the thought and we dined on mashed potatoes and peas ;)

My favorite recipe is my mom's apple pie. Its so simple but always delicious. She taught me to bake with love and not to worry about mistakes. Thanks for the giveaway!heatherspooner1981 at gmail dot com

I have lots of recipes with stories attached but the one that comes to mind first is my grandma's chocolate cake with caramel icing. If my mom wanted this cake for a weekend she would make it in the middle of the week because it got better, a bit more moist, after a day or two earning it the nickname of "Wednesday cake". My son just asked for the recipe so he and his wife can make it for Christmas.

One of my favorite recipes is my mom's stuffing. She died of cancer 10 years ago and I miss her so much. It's just bread cubes, saltines, tons of butter, celery, onions, chicken broth, eggs and spices. My daughter loves it and it brings back wonderful memories eevry time I make it.

With Type II Diabetes, I'll pass on the book (makes my pancreas quiver at the thought). Too bad the caramel cake didn't turn out as you'd hoped. I love caramel cake and am looking for a good recipe. But, it looks like you recovered well.

One time, when I was a Girl Scout back in the stone-wheel days, it was my week to bring the cookies for the cookies. Well, it must have been the day before payday, because there was not butter, margarine, or oil to make the cookies. There was, however, bacon grease. My mother forced me, forced I say, to use that bacon grease to make my oatmeal cookies. I was so angry, embarrassed (and humiliated) by bringing those darn cookies to Girl Scouts. Wouldn't you know it...everyone love, love, loved those bacon grease cookies! I guess that means my mom, rest her soul, was ahead of her time! Who knew? I could be rich now, instead of beautiful...Thanks, mom.

Looks like a really nice cookbook! I'm trying not to buy many at the moment..because one leads to another..but this looks worth a look for sure! As for those bars, my gosh, they would disappear fast if they were in my house!

My favorite recipe is my Nana's cookies simply called Nana's cookies. Now they do have a name but for some reason we can never remember it. We know it is Italian! My Nana came here from Italy when she was a young woman and already was married and had two kids (she ended up with 7 all together). Nana would make many types of cookies for the holidays and then put them in shirt boxes with tissue paper and each family received a box. Looking back I think it was the greatest gift we received because it came from her hands and her heart. My Nana lived to be 89 and I was fortunate enough to inherit most of her cookies recipes. The first Christmas after she passed I baked some of her cookies and I remember crying when I took my first bite of Nana's cookie and I thanked her for leaving such a great legacy behind. I am blessed to have had her for so many years and to now be able to pass this tradition to my daughter. Baking IS love.

This cookie bar recipe brngs back to mind when I was about 10 years old. I wanted a horse soo soo badly, I was saving my allowance, babysitting, doing yard work, and have bake sales. One of my favorite things to make and sell were cookie bars, I mean, who could pass up a choclately chip oatmeal cookie bar? You'd be surprised how many times I went home and baked several more pans of cookie bars for the second day of an event! Thanks to my young baking skills and my Mom's willingness to take me to farmer's markets, & small town festivals I was able to buy a pony before I turned 12! ~T~

I love reading your blog!!!The recipes are wonderful and the photos are great!!!Thank you, for sharing your family stories. Though, we've never met in person I feel as though you're a neighbor. Someone, I can share a pleasant conversation with, a deliciously baked recipe and a cup of tea or coffee. It's a magical blog.Happy Holidays to Your Family and a Blessed 2012!!!

We have a recipe in my family that has been passed down from a friend of my mom's to each of us girls and it's for a chocolate cake that is absolutely delicious! We just call it the Judy Mix cake, after the woman who passed us the recipe.

A favorite recipe story is my birthday BUTTER POUND CAKE story. My mother's family tradition was to bake a butter pound cake for each of our birthdays.

One morning around 3:00AM or 4:00AM my mother heard me crying. She came to the bedroom I share with my sister, turned on the light and asked why I was crying? I sat up in bed and told her everyone had forgotten my birthday the previous day. I waited and waited and nothing happened. The day ended and everyone went to bed. My heart was broken. I believe I was approximately 9 or 10 yrs of age. What did my wonderful mother do?

She turned on all the lights in the house, went to each bedroom and woke up everyone. It was 5 of us children. my mother went to the kitchen and baked her traditional butter pound cake.

She placed butter, sugar, flour, vanilla and a touch of yeast/baking powder in a bowl and stirred. We were allowed to sample the mixture before baking and lick the spoon and even the bowl. Where have I heard these words before? LOL This was approx. 50 yrs ago.

When the cake was baked. We stood around the kitchen table and my family sung happy birthday to me. I think we were too sleepy to eat the cake and left it for desert the following evening.

It was the gesture and the love I remember. My mother was a single mother of 5 children. I wasn't upset. It's just that I looked forward to her buttery pound cakes and vanilla ice cream. What kid would want to miss a treat this special? LOL

I would love to win this cookbook. Some women love shoes, I love cookbooks! I especially like that there is a spot to write notes. My cookbooks are filled with handwritten notes.I hope I win. Thanks for sharing this book and review.

the few memories i have of my dear grandmother are food related - her rum balls and homemade chocolates at christmas, eating spearmint leaf jellies (the real ones not the "fake" ones found now) and her sitting on the beach w/ beer and munching on some chips or chex mix. miss you grammy.

Funny story, every yr for the last 7yrs, I have made fudge. Every yr for the last 7yrs my fudge is awfull, it's runny and gritty. And I STILL use the same reciepe ...duh. I need to throw out this reciepe, but I have had it over 30 yrs and beleieve that one time in m life I knew how to make fudge.....

Not one particular recipe by my grandmother Pat is an extraordinary cook. Favorites in our family are her mac and cheese and her pizza. She's very particular about her ingredients and just about gave up making pizza when Chef Boyardee discontinued their pizza sauce lol

We all talk about how we've tried to make her recipes, step by step with the exact same brands, etc and they never, ever taste as good.

Childhood recipe memory: My mother has an old gold cookbook stuffed with every kind of paper among it's glossy pages. My favorite is 'Peanut butter Fudge Cake' it was a sheet cake that did not look like much till you cut into it and could see the 2 layer frosting. SO SO SO Rich. I made it for my high school friends and it was a blue ribbon hit.

For my recipe story... my Dad was stationed in Italy during the Vietnam war (he really lucked out,) and he developed an interest in cooking while he was over there. His signature spaghetti sauce is really good, although I understand it isn't very authentic: he uses quite a bit of honey to cut the acidity of the tomatoes, and I've heard that real Italian tomato sauce hardly uses any sweetener. But we love it, and I think of him and his travels every time I make it.

A family tradition is a Butternut bundt cake using a special butternut flavoring. For any major holiday, it is expected that I make this cake. One Christmas, I decided to make something else, and I will never live down the protests to breaking of tradition!

My simplest chocolate cake recipe is one that was often called "Daddy's favorite chocolate cake" growing up. It was from our neighbors who took my young parents with two very young children under their wing when we first moved to the country. My parents were building a house and working in town and would come to pick up their two little blond girls after long days. Sweet Miss Connie would hand over the two of us and almost always have a piece of some type of cake or pie to give them to take home as well. This cake was a favorite! And even though it was only a 1/4 mile to get home the desserts almost never made it that far!

One of my favorite recipes the so simple - it is for brownie icing. After pulling the brownies out of the over, melt 1 stick of butter on the stove. After it is melted, turn off the heat. Mix in 4 Tbsp cocoa, 6 Tbsp Milk, and 1 tsp vanilla. Then, slowly stir in 1 box (1 lb.) powdered sugar. Pour it over the warm brownies and let it set, for up to 2 hours. Delicious!

Years ago, I prepared brownies for a Home Enc. project. I work hard all that night on them and hurried packed them away for the next day, without tasting one. I turned them in and went to my homeroom class. That day was the longest ever... the clock tick by slowly. Finally, it was time to go to Home Enc. To my shocking horror, I arrive to class in time to see the LAST OF MY BROWNIES DEVOURED! I received an A+ for my project, but I was still inconsolable. That weekend I remade my brownies and secretly hidden them away all for me!P.S. the recipe I use is on the inside of the Baker's Chocolate box.cindyskitchen@yahoo.com

I am a genelogist and travel often to other cities tracing family history. I love staying in bed and breakfast inns while doing research. One such was run by a wonderful lady in Rusk County Texas. For breakfast the first morning she served us the best orange French toast that I have ever eaten. I asked if she would share the recipe and she was kind enought to make a copy for me. I have served it many times to many people and everyone I serve it to wants the recipe also. My grandkids think that is what is supposed to be served for Christmas breakfast because they have grown up eating it each year.

my favorite recipe is from my Grandma. My grandfather was in the military, so when she was home with the kids she baked a lot. The best recipe though was the Blueberry Buckle, a blueberry coffee cake. Its so delicious and whenever I make it my dad gets flashbacks of his childhood.

quick story - for my 16th birthday, my mom gave me the betty crocker cookbook. The one with the red and white checked cover. And I HATED it. But, now, a few years later, it has followed me around and is still with me, and used regularly. Can you say that about any other birthday gifts you received?

My favorite recipe EVER is Peach Cobbler. My Grandma, Aileen (we called her Nanny)from Beaumont, Texas made it her whole life. Her mother died when she was 8 years old, leaving her father with her and her 6 year old brother. She took on the cooking duties at 8 and began making all sorts of things, but her dad loved this cobbler so it became her signature dessert. I grew up not knowing that this was something other people made as well. When I first tasted peach cobbler from someone else, I didn't think it could be the same thing because hers was just the best. She rolled out the crust and cut it into strips and put it on the top as a lattice. We were always asking her to write down the recipe, but of course she never measured anything, so one day my sister sat with her while she made it, pulling out and measuring every ingredient. Nanny has since passed away, and we have her famous peach cobbler 'recipe' now, but something always seems to be missing. I think it is her!

My favorite recipe is the one I tried last (if successful). LOL! My children laugh because I rarely make the same thing twice - especially with desserts. I am always looking for a new thing to try, so your blog and other food blogs have become my favorite past-time. I love it when mine turn out just exactly like the photos of the one I am trying. Thank you for all the inspiration!

I just finished making ice box cookies for Christmas. This recipe has been in my husband's family for a really long time (ice box!) and is the favorite cookie for Christmas cutout cookies. I love eating them but hate cutting them out! Have you ever cut out cookies that have coconut in the dough? Enough said :)

One of my favorite recipes is my grandmother's sweet potato casserole. Hers is ALWAYS the best and for years I asked for the recipe and finally she has shared! Mine never tasted as good as hers and I discovered why....I don't use nearly the amount of butter or brown sugar that she does! No wonder hers is always the best :)

I have made Derby Pie for years-- (I pirated the recipe after eating it at a restaurant seven times------I figured it out), and it never even occurred to me to make pie bars-------so much handier (no pun intended). AND NOW you can find the recipe everywhere!! Sometimes good ideas just slap you upside the head--thanks!!!

I am a dessert person and would love to add this book and make some amazing goodies. My daughter is studying to be a pastry chef and I am sure she would love to see what is in the book.Thank you for your consideration.

COOKBOOK SOUNDS GREAT. MY STORY IS THEY HAD A CONTEST AT ONE OF OUR GROCERY STORES YEARS AGO. I ENTERED WITH MY RECIPE FOR OLD POUND CAKE. IT CALLED FOR THE SPICE MACE. DIDN'T THINK ABOUT WINNING BUT I DID. WON A FROZEN TURKEY. ONLY THING I EVER WON. IT WAS A GOOD POUND CAKE . C.J.L

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Welcome To My Blog

My name is Monica and I'm a stay at home mom living in central Texas. I like to cook, but baking is my passion. I am an (obsessive) collector of cake stands, cookbooks and bakeware. I make lots of yummy treats and often share my sweet creations with friends, family and anyone else who is willing to be my guinea pig. I have lots of recipes in the archives so I hope you'll stick around for awhile!

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